The global electronics industry generates a lot of waste. From day one, Plugable has focused on minimizing that waste. In the years since, we’ve made some great progress. When possible we’re keeping e-waste out of landfills, changing our packaging, and working toward carbon-efficient shipping. We get it, it’s a journey rather than a destination and Plugable is deeply committed to preserving the environment.

Don’t toss it out just yet

Everyone loves getting new gadgets, but eventually, those gadgets get tossed. All of those trips to the landfill add up to millions (and millions, and millions) of tons of e-waste every year. We’re trying to get our gadgets back before they make it that far.

As a company, Plugable has kept 24.5 tons of e-waste out of landfills thanks to responsible recycling practices.

Will this work with that

For Plugable, the first step to keeping our products out of landfills is making sure our customers are buying exactly what they need. For the less technical among us, choosing between a hub and a docking station can be daunting. To help our customers make sure they get the right product the first time, we encourage the use of our intuitive Dock Finder tool.

In the rare case where the dock you chose isn't the right fit, our Compatibility Guarantee is there to ensure we make it right!

To learn more about our Dock Finder and Compatibility Guarantee, click the links below.

There’s always another use

When possible, we bring any returned Plugable devices back to our HQ in Washington. From there, we refurbish them right onsite. Many of those devices find new life as samples or donations. 

But for those devices that do go out and come back, we’ve sold thousands through resell and refurbish programs with Amazon and eBay, diverting them from landfills.

Paper or plastic

We’re also working to ease the environmental impact of our packaging, starting with plastic. We started with a handful of products to test the feasibility with great results; and we will continue to remove as much plastic from our packaging wherever possible.

And we’re not stopping at plastic, either! We’re working to make our cardboard packaging more eco-friendly, too. As seen below, our packaging continues to evolve to be more environmentally responsible. Our newest packaging is made up of recycled materials, and soy-based ink.

Canceling the Commute

Of course, some of our sustainability efforts are harder to see. We realized we could significantly cut our greenhouse emissions if we just quit showing up to work. Of our total headcount, 8% come to the office every day, 22% are hybrid (coming into the office at least twice a week), and a full 70% are entirely remote. 

On the horizon

Looking ahead, we’re committed to doing more. Even now we’re working on initiatives to expand our FSC-certified eco-friendly packaging efforts. We’re embracing the Ban the Barrel Initiative by cutting out chunky charging blocks when USB will do—an initiative that helps the planet, and your wallet, too. And we’re working to make our shipping efforts even more efficient by using packaging that can be shipped as is—no more giant boxes for little gadgets. 

As we said, it’s a long journey, but we’re excited to keep making progress.